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Together,
Psalms 1 and 2 form the introduction to the book
of Psalms, which was Israel’s original prayerbook.
To really enter into this prayerbook, and truly
benefit by it, Psalm 1 informs us that our lives
must be built on God and on His Torah (teaching,
instruction). Psalm 2 tells us that our lives
must be yielded to God and His Messiah.
The
First Section: The Nations Speak
Psalm
2 is made up of four equal sections. The first
section describes the futile revolt of the leaders
of the nations. Why are the nations in an uproar
and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings
of the earth take their stand and the rulers take
counsel together against the Lord and against
His Messiah, saying, “let us tear their fetters
apart and cast away their cords from us!”
This Psalm begins with the Hebrew question, "lah-mah"
-why? Why are the leaders of the nations planning
to revolt against the Creator, who made them,
who loves them, and who wants only good for them?
Lah-mah - why? Truly, it makes no sense, because
rebellion against God is irrational. For puny
mortal man to fight against the Lord of the universe,
is a vain thing, and the height of absurdity.
Notice
that this rebellion is equally directed against
Adonai - the Lord, and against M'sheecho - God's
Anointed Ruler over mankind - the Messiah.
Jewish commentators over the centuries have wondered
whether the Messiah of this Psalm refers to King
David, who was a "meshiach" - God's Anointed Ruler,
or whether it speaks of the ultimate King Messiah
from David’s family. The context makes it obvious
that Psalm 2 can only be fully applied to Yeshua,
the Son of David. Notice, too, it is "their"
fetters and "their" cords, "their" being plural.
In other words, God and Messiah are unified, and
yet they are distinct. This is an early allusion
to the Trinity, which this Psalm will make even
clearer.
The leaders
of the nations express their desire to break all
chains, that is, all obligations to God and to
His Anointed Ruler. Earth’s rebellious leaders
want neither God as their Lord, nor the Messiah
as their King. They don’t understand that if God
and Messiah do have cords, they are cords of compassion.
If there is a yoke, it is an easy yoke. If there
is a burden, the burden it is light. If there
are fetters, they are chains of love that are
designed to bind us forever to a loving God.
Rebellious
humanity, however, in revolt against God, wishes
to be free from any obligations. "Let us be our
own gods" is the cry. "Let us rid ourselves of
all restraint. We want to do whatever we please,
whenever and however we please, without guilt
and without consequence. We will not have some
God and His “Anointed One” rule over us. We will
have none of it.” So this defiant cry, "Let
us tear their fetters apart and cast away their
cords from us!" reveals the antipathy toward
our Creator that is inherent in our hearts, ever
since Adam and Eve rebelled against God. That
same rebellious spirit is deeply rooted in each
one of their descendants. To be born into this
world is to be part of this world-wide rebellion
against God and against His Messiah. The only
solution is to turn your life around and commit
it to Messiah Yeshua and, through Him, to God
the Father.
The
Second Section: God Speaks
The second
section is God’s response to mankind’s rebellion.
As in the book of Job, we are transported to heaven
to witness the working out of God's designs. He
who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs
at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger
and terrify them in His fury, saying, "but as
for Me, I have installed My king upon Zion, My
holy mountain." This is one of the only places
(perhaps the only one) in the Holy Scriptures
where God laughs. This laughter, however, is of
the scornful type. “Do these mortals really imagine
they can overthrow Me?” He must be thinking to
Himself. The Almighty God, sitting in the heavens
and ruling over the universe, is amused by puny
mans' rebellion. You would be too, if a few gnats
decided to overthrow you! But after God is finished
laughing, He also speaks in anger to the conspirators.
His forceful response to man's rebellion is
to declare that He has decreed that His Anointed
Ruler will reign over all of Planet Earth.
Despite mankind's contempt for God and His Messiah,
and in spite of the worldwide rebellion, plots
and conspiracies, the Almighty has decided to
install King Messiah in Jerusalem, the very center
of the world.
The
reality is that the Lord has already done that
which His human adversaries seek to prevent.
God’s decree has been declared, and will be accomplished.
Messiah Yeshua will be King over Jerusalem, and
He will reign over all the nations for one thousand
years. After this, there will be a judgement,
the destruction of this present universe, the
creation of the new heavens and the new earth,
and then Messiah Yeshua will be installed as King
of the New Jerusalem, so that the increase of
His government will, indeed, have no end. Even
now, at this moment, King Messiah is at the right
hand of the throne of God. He is Lord of heaven
and earth, with all authority having been given
to Him. We dare not deny Him, nor seek to throw
off the cords that bind us to Him.
The
Third Section: The Messiah Speaks
The third
section gives us the response of the Messiah,
who speaks out in His own defense. I will surely
tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me,
"You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask
of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your
inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as
Your possession. You shall break them with a rod
of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware."
The Messiah points out the inevitability that
the schemers of the world will fail. He will not
be dethroned. After all, He has not usurped rulership
of the Earth; rather, it is His by right. He is
the rightful ruler of the Earth because of God's
decree. God had decreed that His Messiah be given
authority over all the nations of the Earth. And
Messiah has the right to rule because of His divine
nature (He said to Me, "You are My Son”).
As the Divine Son, fully God and yet Anointed
Man, He has the right to rule over Israel and
the nations.
So
close is the relationship between God and His
Messiah, that any request He makes of His Father
will be granted (Ask of Me), even rulership
over the entire earth. Not that any such personal
ambition is in the Messiah's mind, but it demonstrates
the hopelessness of any attempt to dethrone Him.
If any would oppose Him, they will be utterly
destroyed, like a china plate smashed by a tire
iron, which is easily broken and beyond repair.
The inevitable outcome of those who continue
to rebel against Yeshua will be complete destruction.
Those who will not bend to the Son of God must
break.
We should
not understand the expression, "Today I have
begotten You" to mean that there was ever
a time when the Messiah didn’t exist, or that
the Messiah is a created being who had a beginning
at some point. God’s Son is begotten by God,
but He is eternally begotten. There was never
a time when He was not the uniquely begotten Son
of God. He always stood in the relationship of
Son to His Father. "Today I have begotten
You" should be understood to mean that the
Messiah is the eternal Son of the Father, and
the One destined to rule over humanity.
The
Fourth Section: Wisdom Speaks
The final
section concludes with a warning to mankind's
scheming leaders: Now therefore, O kings, be
wise; take warning, O judges of the earth. Serve
the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son (Nashkoo Bar), that He not become
angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath
may soon be kindled. How very happy are all who
take refuge in Him! God, who is love, can
also be angry. If the nations and their leaders
continue to rebel against Adonai and His Messiah,
certain punishment and destruction will come.
Many people want a God of love, whose mercy is
unending, but whose wrath is nonexistent. Such
a God has never existed, nor ever will. That is
not the God of divine revelation, the God of the
Bible. Neither is Yeshua merely a gentle carpenter
from Nazareth who never gets angry. He too is
capable of anger toward those who refuse to honor
God.
But His
anger can easily be removed. If you only are willing
to “Nash-koo Bar - Kiss the Son," that
anger will immediately disappear. A “nehshee-kah,”
a simple kiss, removes the Son of God’s anger!
In many cultures kissing is a sign of affection.
In some cultures, a kiss is also considered an
act of homage. For example, when a member of the
mafia kisses the Don's ring, he indicates his
submission to one who is greater. So, to make
peace with God, you must kiss the Son. Instead
of continuing in the world’s rebellion against
God and His Messiah, the wise option is to yield
to God’s decree regarding King Messiah. Therefore,
be wise - kiss the Son. Show your love for God
by becoming Messiah’s loyal servant. Serve Him,
but serve Him with fear. Rejoice before Him, but
even in your joy, let it be mixed with trembling
and a holy awe. And tremble you should, for the
Son of God is the final Judge of all mankind.
All will one day appear before Him and give Him
an account of their lives. It is for good reason
that men ought to fear Him, cease their rebellion
against Him, and instead take refuge in Him. He
is your safety from all danger, dangers from the
world, and even dangers from deep within yourself.
Since
His wrath may soon be kindled, it would
be wise not to delay serving Messiah, lest you
perish in the way - the way of willful
ignorance, the way of sin and death which ends
in eternal separation from God. Don’t wait to
be reconciled to God until you are on your death
bed, because then it might be too late. For that
matter, you do not know whether your death will
approach slowly, or take place in an instant.
Too many people who planned to wait until the
11th hour, have died at 10:30! Generally, the
longer one delays, the more hardened one becomes
in his pride-borne rebellion, finding it almost
impossible to admit having been wrong, and unable
to turn back to God. Don’t wait until the Son
of God returns to Earth and begins His rule over
the nations, shattering the enemies of God with
His iron rod, for then it might be too late. Are
you prepared?
Psalm
2 ends in the same way that Psalm 1 began, tying
both together. Ashray - how very happy
is the man who does not walk in the counsel of
the wicked... but his delight is in the
Torah of the Lord... and Ashray - how
very happy are all who take refuge in the
Son of God. The secret of happiness in
this world, and blessedness throughout eternity,
is to embrace God’s Torah, and take refuge in
the Son of God, the Anointed Ruler whom God has
already sent. I pray that everyone who reads
this may quickly do so, for this is the key to
a successful, blessed, abundant and eternal life.
[I’m indebted
to the work of Charles Spurgeon, and others, for
this message].
Shalom!
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